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  <section id="exec-program">
<span id="command:exec_program"></span><h1>exec_program<a class="headerlink" href="#exec-program" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h1>
<div class="versionchanged">
<p><span class="versionmodified changed">Changed in version 3.28: </span>This command is available only if policy <span class="target" id="index-0-policy:CMP0153"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0153.html#policy:CMP0153" title="CMP0153"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0153</span></code></a> is not set to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">NEW</span></code>.
Port projects to the <span class="target" id="index-0-command:execute_process"></span><a class="reference internal" href="execute_process.html#command:execute_process" title="execute_process"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">execute_process()</span></code></a> command.</p>
</div>
<div class="deprecated">
<p><span class="versionmodified deprecated">Deprecated since version 3.0: </span>Use the <span class="target" id="index-1-command:execute_process"></span><a class="reference internal" href="execute_process.html#command:execute_process" title="execute_process"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">execute_process()</span></code></a> command instead.</p>
</div>
<p>Runs an executable program during the processing of a CMake file or script:</p>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">exec_program(</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="nv">&lt;executable&gt;</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="nv">&lt;working-dir&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">ARGS</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;arguments-to-executable&gt;...</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">OUTPUT_VARIABLE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;var&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">RETURN_VALUE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;var&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;executable&gt;</span></code> is run in the optionally specified directory
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;working-dir&gt;</span></code>.  The
executable can include arguments if it is double quoted, but it is
better to use the optional <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ARGS</span></code> argument to specify arguments to the
executable program.  This is because CMake will then be able to escape spaces in
the executable path.  An optional argument <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OUTPUT_VARIABLE</span></code> specifies a
variable in which to store the output.  To capture the return value of
the execution, provide a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">RETURN_VALUE</span></code>.  If <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OUTPUT_VARIABLE</span></code> is
specified, then no output will go to the stdout/stderr of the console
running CMake.</p>
<section id="examples">
<h2>Examples<a class="headerlink" href="#examples" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>Example of the legacy <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">exec_program()</span></code> command used in earlier versions of
CMake:</p>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">exec_program(</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="nb">some_command</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="o">${</span><span class="nt">dir</span><span class="o">}</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">ARGS</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">arg_1</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">arg_2</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">args</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">&quot;\&quot;&lt;quoted-arg&gt;\&quot;&quot;</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">OUTPUT_VARIABLE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">output</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">RETURN_VALUE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">result</span>
<span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>A direct equivalent replacement of the previous example using the
<span class="target" id="index-2-command:execute_process"></span><a class="reference internal" href="execute_process.html#command:execute_process" title="execute_process"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">execute_process()</span></code></a> command in new code:</p>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">execute_process(</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">COMMAND</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">some_command</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">arg_1</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">arg_2</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">args</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">&quot;&lt;quoted-arg&gt;&quot;</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">WORKING_DIRECTORY</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">${</span><span class="nt">dir</span><span class="o">}</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">RESULT_VARIABLE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">result</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">OUTPUT_VARIABLE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">output</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">ERROR_VARIABLE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">output</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE</span>
<span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</section>
</section>


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